The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-04-29
PRESCOTT'S CALAMITY.
Terrors of the Cyclone at q Kan
sas Town.
Houses Wrecked and Fleeing Inmates
Hurled to Death-A Number Killed and
Many Others Fatally Injured-The
Town Nearly Wiped Out.

MANY OInEES EaEaAiy ln1uFeQ-AnS
Town Nearly Wiped Out.
PRESCOTT, Kan, April 23.-A terrible cy-
clone visited this place about 80 Thursday
evening, completely destroying the city.
About 200 houses were demolished. 1t had
been raining very hard and the waterfall
was very heavy, when hailstones as large
as goose egg fell, breaking many win
doWs, when suddenly the regular funnel
shaped cloud could be seen rapidly ap-
preaching from the northwest fully fifteen
minutes before the town was struck.
Houses could be seen twisting under the
heavy pressure of the mighty monster high
up in the sky. Every farm house in its
path, about one and a quarter miles
WIDE, was wrecked and many happy
homes were destroyed. From twelve
miles northwest and eleven miles
southeast every thing was felled.
Dick Hardness and his wife and four
children and a visitor-Miss Minnock, of
Oakwood, Ill.-with their house and all
We're carried several hundred yards through
the air and dropped in an adjoining orchard.
They lit on a large apple tree, escaping in
stant death. Mrs. Hardness, with an in
fant in her arms, was terribly injured and
the others were badly cut and bruised.
Kit Hardness, a brother of the above, and
several others were in q livery barn
and all were carried quite a distance and
badly injured, many limbs being broken.
The stable, costing So, 900, is a total wreck.
Manlove Brothers store and contents are
a total loss. H. c. Tripp, of McCord Nave
& Co, Kansas City, Charles Blake and W.
II. Billings were in the rear and were only
slightly injured while Jake Stephens was
at the front door and was struck by
heavy timber and felIed to the floor, dying
of strangulation, the timber having fallen
across his neck. Those in the rear could
hear his means and cries for help but were
powerless, they being penned in as well.
Miss Lena Sellers, aged twenty-eight, will
probably die. She had just stepped out of
e. Miller & Sons store and was struck by
a falling timber.
Mrs. Kit Hardness and children were
struck by a TIMBER driven completely
through their residence and severely cut
and bruised. The house, very large one,
the finest in the city, was damaged 5000.
Will McKale and family, who live one
mile and quarter northwest, were sitting
around the fire when the house was struck.
He was killed, and an infant taken from
Mrs McKales arms was found dead a
mile from the house. The rest of the
family were picked up insensible from adj
jacent parts of their farm. Four miles
northwest lived Mr.. and Mrs. Flynn, three
small children and a young lady from the
East visiting them, Miss McDanz. They
were taken up with the house and carried
about half mile. Miss McDanz was
killed and the rest of them were badly
wounded. All were picked up insensible.
William Browning, who lived seven miles
northwest in fine new residence, had his
house taken up and not a trace of it can be
found. No one has seen piece of it in the
twenty-five miles heard from. His loss was
$1,000. The family fortunatelylwere in a
cellar and escaped injury. At the CrOne
residence nothing is left of their beautiful
house. Mrs. CrOne was killed outright and
the others were found scattered over
forty-acre field. Every business house in
town is down or ruined The few standing
buildings are pierced full of timbers, while
the new Gulf depot is scattered over town.
The damage can not be estimated as the
town is ruined and probably will not be re-
built. Those killed are: Will McKaIe and
infant, Jake Stephens, who leaves wife
and babe destitute; Mrs. S. P. Demlng's
six months child, Mrs. Sarah Crone, Miss
McGanz, Miles Deming's wife and child.
The mortally injured are: Mrs. Dick Hark-
ness and one child, Mr.. z. F. FLYNN and
three children, Mr.. and Mrs. Jake Broach,
a small child of Joe Duncan, Mrs. Dug
Walker and infant.
Others who were seriously though not
fatally injured were: Mr.. Kit Hardness
and wife and son, Neil; Mr.. Dick Hardness
and three children; Jim Woodbridge. arm
broken; Ed Han, arm broken; J. G. KruSig,
struck by timber; Tiniky Carer, badly hurt
by a hail stone; w. S. Bogart, Jim Kinney,
! Mrs. M. Odell and infant, Mr.. Hogan and
wife and William Campbell, struck with
tImbers. The Baptist and Methodist
Churches were damaged about 81, 900 each.
One hundred thousand dollars would no
more than cover the damage done to prop
erty. Very few places were insured against
cyclones.
I
village, is laid low, only three buildings out
of about dozen being left standing. p. c.
| Shelton's residence, a large frame house,
| was found about two miles west and his
| furniture and carpets were found in atoms
| in Missouri four and one-half miles away.
| Fortunately every one was IN the cellar.
| Miles Miller's wife and child, living eleven
| miles southeast, started for a cellar and
were blown into a well and drowned.
Prescott was a village of about 500 in
habitants, located eighteen miles north Of
! Fort Scott, and there were about 200
| houses in the village. An eye witness says:
| 1.-THE scene before the awful storm reached
| Pre- scott is indescribable. Out from the
| threatening northwest skyCame the huge
funnel-shaped cloud, twisting and writing,
| dipping to the earth and then ascending to
| a height of 100 or more feet, and
| resembling the trunk of an enormous ele-
| phant. The cloud could be seen approach
| ing for over seven miles. Deathlike still
ness reigned for while, and strange
| fascination held the people spell-bound.
! Then the deep, sullen roar of the storm
/ could be heard increasing as the cloud
! drew nearer. The shrill, piercing
| shrleks of the women and children
/ running hither and thither seeking
| escape from the awful fate which
menaced them were heard on all sides. AS
| the storm drew nearer it was seen to be
| filed with all manner of objects whirling
| round and round houses and barns were
| drawn into the vortex, lifted to height OF
| a hundred yards, tossed to and fro, and
| then dropped to the earth again, ahghtIng
| in splinters-